ADDITIONS continued granite pool, complete with appurtenances. The existing defective sidewalks would be removed and replaced with new exposed aggregate sidewalks, and additional walks of exposed aggregate paving would be constructed, leading into the pool areas. The breakdown of the estimate is detailed on the white sheets in the body of the hearings. It shows that $24,300 would be expended for sidewalk construction; $3,600 for 18 granite benches; $26,600 for 2 pools, with appurtenances; $10,000 for plant material, flowers, flowering trees and shrubs. Total estimate for 1967--- BUDGET REQUEST 1967, HOUSE ALLOWANCE +$168,000 790,000 Senator MONRONEY. You are requesting $790,000 for fiscal year 1967 and the House has allowed $690,000, at the same time denying fivebut allowing two of the seven requested-additional gardeners and one additional treeworker. LANDSCAPING PLAZA AREA The House also denied your proposal to spend $64,500 to landscape the two small triangular areas abutting the Plaza at both ends. I would like to hear more about this proposal to beautify these areas and to provide a place of relaxation for visitors to the Nation's Capitol. Mr. STEWART. May I ask Mr. Pincus, our landscape architect, to answer your question? Senator MONRONEY. This is the drawing here, I believe. Mr. PINCUS. Yes, sir. The northeast and southeast triangles are located on the east front grounds of the Capitol. Each area is similar in size, measuring approximately 11,300 square feet or one-fourth acre. At the present time, both the northeast and southeast triangles are planted with grass with several large old shrubs. Drinking fountains were installed in both triangles in March 1965, and a wrought iron settee is located in the northeast triangle. There are wide existing sidewalks along the west sides of each of the triangles, which are in poor condition. Sections of these sidewalks have, over a long period of time, gradually become broken, raised or severely cracked, and should be replaced with exposed aggregate paving in the public interest. DEVELOPMENT OF PARK-LIKE GARDENS There are very few areas on the Capitol Grounds where the many visitors to the Capitol can rest and relax for a time, wait for their friends or members of their families, or assemble comfortably in small groups. Similarly, there are very few areas of the Capitol Grounds that can suitably be developed into small park-like gardens. The proposed development of the northeast and southeast triangles would accomplish both the foregoing desired results. The two trangles would be developed into park-like resting areas and planted with flowerbeds, flowering trees and shrubs. Nine granite benches would be placed around each area and each triangle would contain a small granite pool, complete with appurtenances. SIDEWALK REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT Existing defective sidewalks, of approximately 800 square yards, would be removed and replaced with new exposed aggregate paving. Additional walks of exposed aggregate paving, consisting of approximately 620 square yards, would lead into the pool areas of the two triangles. The proposed development of the northeast and southeast triangles would utilize an opportunity to enhance the beauty of the Capitol Grounds, while also providing small park-like resting areas for visitors, and at the same time replacing defective walks requiring an immediate remedy. The wrought-iron settee, presently located in the northeast triangle, would be moved across the plaza to the east side of the triangular areas at the intersection of Constitution Avenue and the Capitol Plaza. Senator MONRONEY. This would come to some $64,500; is that correct? Mr. PINCUS. Yes, sir. ALTERNATE PLAN: SIDEWALK REPLACEMENT AND FLOWER GARDENS Senator MONRONEY. The House denied your proposal on that as well. What would it cost to replace walks with smaller walks, perhaps, and convert the land area into flower gardens that would be planted to flowers that would be blooming throughout the year? DESIRABILITY OF INSTALLATION OF POOL Mr. PINCUS. That would eliminate the pool area of $26,600 for both pools. Senator MONRONEY. Aren't you going to have a lot of trouble with those pools getting contaminated, people throwing refuse of all kinds in? You have told us time after time in the testimony that the treatment of facilities on the Capitol Grounds has been rather disastrous. Mr. PINCUS. Our feeling, sir, is that these areas, being on the east front, will be under the surveillance of many of the visitors and the police, and not in a secluded location. Senator MONRONEY. I am thinking of the pool, collecting dirt, refuse, banana peels, candy cartons. Mr. PINCUS. Pool or no pool, you will find this type of debris everywhere, sir. Senator MONRONEY. Pool or no pool, I would not like to see it floating around in the pool. Mr. PINCUS. This same development can be accomplished without the pools. We will still have the central sitting area. That will eliminate $26,600. Senator MONRONEY. I am asking for advice, whether the pool from a practical standpoint and your experience would be productive of beauty or be a contaminated area. Mr. PINCUS. I feel that the pools are desirable features in that location, which will tend to give a cool appearing area. Senator MONRONEY. How big is the pool? SIZE AND MAINTENANCE COST OF POOLS Mr. PINCUS. Each pool will be 10 feet in diameter. It is not very large. Senator MONRONEY. How deep? Mr. PINCUS. It will be around 12 inches deep. Senator MONRONEY. What will it cost to merely clean out the old park and leave that as a green park in between the highways, the roadways? Mr. PINCUS. The cost for the sidewalks will be $22,500. The rest of the work will be done by Capitol Grounds forces. We have the plant material at the Botanic Garden nursery. Senator MONRONEY. You could supply that as a flower garden if you were not ready to go into this yet? Mr. PINCUS. Yes, sir. PERSONNEL REQUEST: SEVEN ADDITIONAL GARDENERS Senator MONRONEY. I want to ask you about the House cutting out the various employees that were allowed. You requested seven, I believe, for the Capitol Grounds, gardeners. Mr. PINCUS. Yes, sir. Senator MONRONEY. You could maintain a far better appearance of the Capitol Grounds, flowerbeds, things of that kind, if you were given the seven gardeners than if we just allowed you two? Mr. PINCUS. Yes, sir. Senator MONRONEY. I have been anxious to see us bring up the beauty of the Capitol Grounds. I have been very critical in the past of some of the ill-looking shrubs, treatment and bare ground and blighted spots in the Capitol area here. If we gave you seven more personnel, that would be all devoted to the Capitol Grounds area, in front and the rear of the Capitol? Mr. PINCUS. Yes, sir. This drawing shows the division of the Capitol Grounds forces [indicating on map]. The terracotta colored areas represent the Senate Office Buildings grouping. The green areas represent the old Capitol Grounds and the beige areas represent the House Office Buildings grouping. Presently, as far as the gardeners are concerned, we have five gardeners maintaining this House area. The old Capitol Grounds have 13 gardeners and the Senate Office Buildings group has 6 gardeners maintaining the areas. DETAIL OF PROPOSED GARDENERS Senator MONRONEY. If you had seven, how would you divide them? Mr. PINCUS. Three gardeners would be detailed for the underground garage areas when they are completed. Senator MONRONEY. Will that be planted on top? Mr. PINCUS. Yes, sir. Senator MONRONEY. Like the one on top of the Senate garage? Mr. PINCUS. Yes, sir. There would be two gardeners assigned to this area-south of Independence Avenue-which has been planted this spring: one gardener assigned to the main Capitol Grounds to take care of the two triangles, if allowed; and one gardener would be assigned to this section, new grounds. Senator MONRONEY. It seems to me the rattiest part of the Capitol is the central area. Don't you need more gardeners there? Mr. PINCUS. We are in the process of developing that area now. There has been a great improvement so far as I am concerned over last year. Senator MONRONEY. Do you get enough fertilizer, enough materials to do all you think is required? Mr. PINCUS. Yes, sir. Senator MONRONEY. This should be the most beautiful grass, beautiful shubbery in the country, because it is a focal point. People come here expecting to see something fabulous. You go to these smaller countries you find many times their capitols are beautifully landscaped and the grounds beautifully maintained. We seem to have difficulty in getting ours attractive. PERSONNEL REQUEST: TREEWORKER How about your treeworker? Mr. PINCUS. I would prefer to have the treeworker back, if we could get him. Senator MONRONEY. That would give you the five gardeners that were disallowed by the House and the one treeworker; is that correct? Mr. PINCUS. Yes, sir. Senator MONRONEY. You have some old historic trees, many of them planted nearly a century ago. Mr. PINCUS. Yes, sir. Senator MONRONEY. Those require additional care and help and maintenance? Mr. PINCUS. Yes, sir. Senator MONRONEY. Once they are allowed to run down or branches break off, they could very easily die. Mr. PINCUS. That is right, sir. Senator MONRONEY. I think it would be penny wise and pound foolish when we fail to consider the beautification of the Capitol Grounds. The First Lady of the land is certainly doing her best. It ill behooves us to do less, trying to keep up with what is happening in other parts of the area. Thank you very much. SENATE OFFICE BUILDINGS We next have the Senate Office Buildings. Pages 57 to 59 will be inserted in the record. (The justification follows:) 1966 appropriation in annual act---- Wage-Board pay supplemental in H. Doc. 405 Total appropriations-1966 $2,458, 700 405, 000 31, 000 2, 894, 700 DEDUCTIONS Replacement of plumbing system, old building: Nonre. Base for 1967_. 155, 000 10,000 (-)415, 000 2, 479, 700 ADDITIONS Wage-rate increases authorized by Public Law 763, 83d Cong_-_. Under the provisions of Public Law 763, 83d Cong., 287 laborers and mechanics on the Senate Office Buildings roll are compensated on a wage board, prevailing-rate basis. Public Law 763 provides that the compensation of such employees shall be fixed and adjusted from time to time as nearly as is consistent with the public interest in accordance with prevailing rates. An increase of $15,252 is requested for 1967 to meet on a fullyear basis the cost of increased wage rates established for these wage board positions as a result of a general survey of Government and industrial employees' wages in the Washington metropolitan area, conducted during the past year. The new rates went into effect Dec. 5, 1965, pursuant to the provisions of Public Law 85-872, 85th Cong. The increase is necessary in order that the Senate Office Buildings' wage board employees may be compensated on a full-year basis in the fiscal year 1967 in accordance with present prevailing rates. An increase of $7,448 is requested for 1967 to meet the cost of within-grade promotions and other changes authorized by Public Law 763 under the wage board system for employees compensated under that act. Within-grade promotions under the Classification Act of 1949, as An allotment of $10.000, over and above the regular annual An allotment of $9.000 is requested for 1967 for the purchase of 200 end table lamps for Senators' offices and suites to meet numerous requests being received for such lamps---. Total estimate for 1967-----. 1967 BUDGET REQUEST $10,000 $22, 700 4, 210 3,975 415 9,000 +50, 300 2,530,000 Senator MONRONEY. The amount you are requesting for fiscal 1967 is $2,530,000, which is $364,700 less than that appropriated for fiscal 1966. I realize that this is due to several large nonrecurring items in fiscal 1967. RUG REPLACEMENT PROGRAM However, you are apparently embarking on a rug replacement program for the New Senate Office Building and are requesting $10,000 additional for this purpose this year. Please give us the details about this. Mr. STEWART. May I ask Mr. Caraway to discuss that item. Mr. CARAWAY. Senator, we have not replaced any of the carpeting in this building. It has been over 7 years now and some of the carpet ls replacing very badly. This figure will increase over a period |